Photoelectron diffraction: principles and experimental methods

Advances in the understanding of surface phenomena and in the development of nanotechnology increasingly rely on characterization tools with both elemental and surface structural sensitivity. The local atomic structure of adsorbed species or thin layers grown on single crystal surfaces can provide a better physical and chemical insight into the basic mechanism of surface phenomena and can be used as a starting point for the calculation of the electronic properties. Photoelectron diffraction is a powerful experimental technique able to yield such an information. Its combination of chemical, structural and surface sensitivity yields a quantitative description of the local atomic geometry of the first layers of solids.